And Baby Makes Six
by Vinividivinci
Summary: The continuing saga of Jack and Sam's journey to marriage and family.  Follows 'Jack's New Adventure'.  As baby number 2 arrives things can never be easy or simple for the O'Neills.
1. Chapter 1

_**Okay - so I've been good right? I haven't whumped Jack once through this whole series - well, I've decided he needs a little bit. My apologies but the muse made me do it! Hope you enjoy.**_

"MAAAAMAAAAA!" Alex screamed, trying to pull out of his father's arms. Tears ran down his cheeks and he continued to call for his mother. Everyone was looking at Jack like he was a child murderer or something when, in actual fact, he'd simply come to the mall to get Sam some slippers.

She could no longer bend over to put her present ones on and insisted that she needed a pair for the hospital. He tried to convince her she wouldn't be there that long, but she told him she _had_ to have a new pair.

"Jack, you have time now. Why don't you take Alexander with you – he'll enjoy it.

Hah! Famous last words! Instead of 'enjoying it', Alex had done nothing but fuss and cry since he'd left. He'd spent the last 45 minutes trying to find the exact slippers Sam insisted she had to have but of course he couldn't find them. If a store had them, it didn't have her size; if it had her size, it didn't have the right color. Then there were the stores where he couldn't even find where they kept the damn slippers.

By the time he'd covered most of the mall, Alex had started to cry. He wanted his Mama – and nothing else would do. Jack should have known better – it was the baby's nap time plus the fact that lately he'd been clinging on to Sam for dear life which probably meant that leaving him home would have been the smart thing to do.

Jack was pretty sure that Carter _didn't_ in fact need slippers at all. What she probably needed was a little peace and quiet and this way she'd managed to get rid of both her boys.

Jack had been retired now for almost two whole weeks and he'd already realized that he was driving Sam crazy. It wasn't that she didn't like having him around, it was just that neither of them were used to him not having something to do. He'd spent the first few days sleeping in – a real luxury – and watching sports on TV. That had quickly palled. He'd really been looking forward to spending more time with his son, but for some reason that neither of them could understand, Alex suddenly seemed to want his mother, and only his mother.

Daniel hypothesized that the baby knew something was about to change and therefore was clinging on to his mother. Soon he would no longer be the only baby in the family – so he was making the most of his time left.

Jack figured that sounded reasonable – at least he hoped so – although there was a worrisome voice in his head that kept telling him his son didn't like him anymore. Whatever the reason, between his lack of anything to do and the fact his son didn't want him, meant Jack was feeling pretty aimless.

It wasn't that he was sorry he'd retired. Okay, let's be honest Jack, he said to himself, you _are_ feeling like you made a mistake. He didn't want to make Sam miserable by hanging around and it looked like his son preferred him when he was gone most of the day. So now he had to figure out what the hell to do with himself for the rest of his life. Maybe he should call the President and get his job back quickly, before they hired someone new.

"MAAAAMAAAA!" Alex screamed again. Jack had to hold on to him carefully as the little boy flailed about, clearly wanting something - _anything_ other than his father. With a sigh he turned around and headed to the nearest exit before some security guard decided to call in and report him.

He eventually found his car and buckled the now hysterical Alex into his baby seat. Driving home to the cacophonous sounds of a 15 month old, he really wished he was off somewhere, battling something or someone he could actually defeat. He knew that right now, his son was a foe he could not vanquish. No – Alexander had him down and out.

He pulled into his driveway and unstrapped the desperately crying little boy. Holding him securely, so he didn't throw himself to the ground, Jack made his way into the house. As soon as they entered the front hallway, the baby started back up with his screams for Mama.

It was only a minute or two before Sam hurried – okay, maybe 'hurried' wasn't the right word in her state but he didn't want to even _think_ the word 'waddled. He knew if he thought it' he'd eventually end up _saying_ it one day in front of Sam. He'd grown very fond of his testicles, thank you very much, and didn't need them ripped out by an irate wife.

"What is it?" she asked frantically. "What's wrong?" She walked over and took Alexander in her arms. It was like turning off a bloody faucet, he thought in disgust. The moment she took him he stopped crying. Oh, there was still the odd little 'hiccup' from the extended crying, but for the most part he was now as happy as a clam.

Well Jack, he said to himself, that'll show you. You're just chopped liver – it's Mommy that's all powerful, and the one that little boys want and need. He sighed – he was just tired and hot and feeling very sorry for himself.

"What did you do?" asked Sam with a frown.

"What do you mean – _what did I do_? I didn't do anything", he answered, peeved.

"Well you must have done something. He doesn't usually cry like this unless he's been hurt or something."

"What! You think I _hurt _him?" Jack asked, both astounded and hurt by her accusation. "Yeah Carter", he drawled, "I decided to rough him up a little. Too bad I didn't have a zat so I could have kept him from crying." With that he slammed down the car keys and walked out of the hallway towards his study. Damnit! He couldn't believe she'd suggested he would do something to hurt their – his – son.

He slammed the door behind him, letting her know he really didn't want to see her right now. He knew she was tired and anxious and almost ready to give birth but still – he didn't need this. Not when he'd tried everything he could to help and support her.

He stayed in his study for the next hour, just sitting and staring at the bookcase in front of him. He didn't feel like reading or listening to music or anything. He didn't know what the hell he wanted to do – and that was the problem.

When he and Sam had talked about him retiring it was with the idea that he'd spend time with the kids. Eventually Sam would go back to work and then he'd be a stay at home Dad. He'd been looking forward to it – more than anything he could remember wanting in a long time. The thought of taking his kids places and teaching them to ride a bike and throw a ball, well it was just about the best thing he could imagine. Now, he had to figure that maybe there was something else he should be doing. He wondered if Sam would start resenting being married to him if he was home more often. His kids might not _want _him around more. They would probably prefer their mother.

He sighed again and finally decided to pick himself up and go see how Sam and Alex were doing. Hopefully by now everyone had calmed down and they'd laugh about it. He walked down the hallway, wondering where everyone was, until he heard the sound of the baby laughing in the Family room. With a small smile he turned and headed there, hoping to have some time to play with his son before his nap.

He walked in to see Sam sitting on the floor, her back against the couch, and Alex in front of her, laughing and playing with some toys. He looked up just as Jack walked in and immediately the smiles turned to frowns.

"NO!" the little boy yelled. "NO!" He crawled over to his mother and pulled himself into her lap and held on for dear life.

Jack stood stunned. What the hell was going on? He had done nothing to bring this on. Was his son suddenly frightened of him?

"Jack?" Sam turned her head, a frown on her face again.

"I don't know. I don't know what's wrong", he said bitterly. "I just took him shopping and he started acting up. Maybe it's like Daniel said – he's just clingy because he senses something is about to change."

"Maybe", she said, although she sounded doubtful. "Or – you know – maybe you're giving off – I don't know, vibes or something."

"Vibes?" he asked incredulously. "What the hell does _that_ mean?"

"You don't have to yell at me – and that's exactly what I mean. You were in a bad mood and maybe you're scaring him."

He stood staring at her, shocked again at her accusations. Where was this coming from? He really didn't think he'd done anything to deserve this. He hadn't been in a bad mood prior to taking Alex shopping and his son had still been fussy. But then hell – maybe she was right. Maybe it _was_ his fault.

"I didn't yell at you – and I don't think I'm the one who is in a bad mood. I walked in the house and you practically accused me of beating our son. I did nothing to him – he was the one in the bad mood and nothing I could do, and believe me I tried everything, helped." He turned and strode to the door. "I think maybe you'd both be happier if I was gone. Call if you need anything."

A part of him hoped she'd call him back, but when she didn't he kept walking and picked up his keys and headed out to his car. He didn't really know where he was going, but he knew he had to get away for a while before he said something he'd really regret. He couldn't figure out where this was all coming from. Up until recently things had been good. Then again, it was probably the fact that he'd retired. The truth was, Sam just didn't want him around that much.

He pulled out of his driveway and decided to head out of the city. Maybe a bit of 'country air' would help clear his mind. He checked to make sure he had his cell phone – he wouldn't leave Sam this late in her pregnancy without being able to be in touch. A part of him felt guilty for leaving her alone at all but a bigger part of him was angry and hurt and wanted to go somewhere and lick his wounds. He took the highway west, heading towards the Blue Ridge Mountains. For some reason, he really wanted to be in the mountains right now – maybe because it would remind him of Colorado.

After Jack had left, Sam continued to sit on the floor and play with Alexander, although her mind was on her husband. What had gotten into her? She knew there was no way in hell Jack would _ever_ do anything to hurt their son. He was the most loving, tender father and husband you could hope to find. She'd been a complete and absolute bitch to him and she didn't know why. For some reason she was just feeling out of sorts today, and so had decided to take it out on the person nearest her. She'd sent him on an errand to get some peace and quiet, even though she knew that Alex was fussy and in a bad mood himself.

She too knew that what Daniel - and Jack – had said was most likely the truth. Alex was feeling needy right now and was clinging to his mother. She knew it was just a phase and that soon he'd be back to worshipping his Daddy. The books all agreed and she'd spoken to some of the other Mom's in her Mom and Tot group and they all told very similar stories. The thing was, instead of reassuring Jack, she'd turned on him, accusing him of being at fault. She knew how sensitive he was about things like that and how fragile his belief in himself was when it came to being a good father. He lived everyday with the knowledge that his carelessness had caused the death of his first child – and here she'd gone and stoked those insecurities.

She saw that Alex was getting sleepy and was only sporadically playing with his toys. He'd be out any minute now and she'd have to put him down in his crib – which was going to be difficult in her condition. With a groan she began to stand up, which immediately made her son upset and he started to cry. By the time she was standing, she had a wailing child on her hands.

She closed her eyes briefly, realizing just what Jack had been dealing with – and then she'd laid into him. God, what is wrong with you Samantha!

She quickly fed the little boy, knowing that part of it was he was hungry. It then took her almost half an hour s to get Alexander calmed down enough to be willing to come with her to their bedroom. When he realized she was going to put him in his crib, he started up again and within moments was throwing a full-blown tantrum.

"God Jack, where are you? I could really use your help." She remembered that she'd basically driven him away with her accusations. "Well Sam – you got what you deserved!"

Alex was finally in bed, asleep and she was exhausted. She made her way to her own bed and curled up – as much as she could with a huge belly – and tried to relax. Unfortunately, it didn't work! She was consumed with guilt and knew she owed her husband a huge apology. She thought about giving him a call, but didn't have the energy to even get up and move to his side of the bed where the phone was situated. She'd just rest for a while and then call. Her eyes drifted closed, and she was soon asleep.

Jack kept driving, the anger and resentment slowly draining out of him as he got farther west. He knew that Sam was emotional right now, as was Alex. They were all going through lots of changes and it would take a while to work things out. He knew he had to find something interesting to do and stay out of Sam's hair, but he also knew that when the baby came he'd need to be there for her and for Alex and the baby.

As far as his son was concerned, he knew he was a good father. He loved his son and his son loved him. Daniel was totally right – it was just a phase and Alex would get over it. He'd just have to wait it out. He smiled softly – it was probably good training for the teen years when his son would probably not want anything to do with him then either.

It was getting dark and it had started to rain. He glanced at the clock and realized he'd been driving for over an hour and a half. God, he needed to get back. Sam would be worried about him. Although at that thought he frowned – she hadn't called, so maybe she was too angry still. He sighed and knew they'd have to talk this out but he'd better get home. Running away wouldn't solve anything.

He glanced in his rear view mirror and then ahead but the road was clear. The road had narrowed and he was driving through the mountains now so it was hard to find a place to turn around. He finally saw a little area that looked like a truck run off and decided to turn into in and head back. He checked his rear view mirror again and there was no one behind him. He then glanced forward, just in time to see something run right in front of his car.

He slammed on the breaks and turned the wheel but still felt the impact of something as it hit his car. The car suddenly began to swerve and he was unable to control it on the wet pavement. He desperately tried to keep it on the highway but, as it headed for the edge of the road which dropped sharply down the mountain, he thought briefly of his wife and children.

"I'm sorry Sam", he said, sure that he was about to die.

She sat up suddenly, her heart pounding. What? She turned and looked at the clock by the bed. It was almost 11:00 o'clock and the room was pitch black. It took her a moment to figure out where she was and what was going on. She looked at the clock again and then over at the crib. She could hear the soft sounds of Alex breathing in his sleep. She then looked at the other side of the bed. Where was Jack?

She figured he must still be downstairs, probably watching TV she thought. She wondered if he was still mad at her, acknowledging that he had a right to be. She'd been horrible to him. Moving to the side of the bed and struggling to her feet, she decided to head downstairs and apologize. She wanted him with her and hated that she'd caused this stupid fight.

She'd only taken a few steps when she felt the contraction. It wasn't terribly painful, but it was real and it definitely was not a Braxton Hicks. This was the real thing. She grimaced slightly, knowing what was to come, but she then smiled. She was ready to have this baby already.

"Jack", she called softly down when she reached the top of the stairs. She suddenly wondered why all the lights were out. Usually if he was up he'd leave the hall light on. "Jack", she called again, but again there was not answer.

With a grimace, and holding her belly, she slowly made her way downstairs and headed toward the Family room. It was obvious, she saw when she arrived, that he wasn't there. She continued to search for him but it quickly became apparent that he wasn't home. Had he been that angry that he'd leave her for good, she suddenly wondered. No – that wasn't like Jack. He wouldn't do that, especially knowing she was so close to her due date.

Suddenly, with that thought, she felt another contraction. It still wasn't bad, but it forced her to stop and ride it out. They were still coming far enough apart so she knew she had time. What she had to do was find her husband.

She did one last check to make sure his car was gone. When she verified that fact she made her way to the phone in the kitchen. Sitting down, she dialed his cell number, hoping he wasn't too far away.

"Hello, O'Neill here. I can't take your call so please leave a message."

Damn – he wasn't answering. Surely he wouldn't avoid her calls? No – again she was pretty sure he wouldn't do that. He must be someplace where he didn't hear the phone. Maybe he was in a bar somewhere, having a drink. After waiting a few moments she tried again, but got his voice mail a second time.

She continued to try for the next half hour but still got no reply. It was at that point that she began to worry. She'd had a couple of more contractions but they were still far enough apart that she didn't think anything was imminent. Right now her priority was to find her husband.

She bit her lip and stared blindly out of the window onto the darkened street, illuminated only by the soft yellow street lamp. Where could he be? Suddenly making a decision she picked up the phone and dialed a well-known number. It was still only 10:00 o'clock in Colorado, so he should be up.

"Hello."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Daniel, it's me, Sam."

"Sam! What's up? Everything okay there. Wait – it's almost midnight in DC. Is something wrong?" His voice changed from pleased to worried in a moment.

"I don't know. Jack left – oh, hours ago and he's not back and he's not answering his cell phone. I'm worried that something has happened."

"That doesn't sound like him. Where did he go?"

"I – I don't know. We had a bit of a fight and he left. I thought he'd just drive around for a bit and come back. I fell asleep and when I woke up he still wasn't home. I've tried calling him for the last hour but I get no answer. I can't figure it out."

"I'm sure he'll be okay. Have you – did you try the police?"

"They won't do anything Daniel. He hasn't been gone that long."

"No, I guess not. He's probably at some bar somewhere having a drink and can't hear his phone."

"That's what I thought but – he knows I'm close to my due date and he's always pretty careful about staying in touch." She stopped for a moment. "Uh Daniel – I've gone into labor."

"WHAT! Are you okay? Is it close?"

"No – I mean, I'm fine. I'm in early labor and the contractions aren't that close yet. I just need to find Jack before too much time goes by. I didn't know what else to do. I'm sorry to have disturbed you."

"Wait, Sam, don't you dare hang up and don't even think of apologizing to me. Of _course_ you should disturb me – that's what friends and family are for. Look, why don't you call some of his former people from the Air Force – they should be able to help. In the meantime I'm going to call Landry and Teal'c and see if we can make it to Washington. Is there someone you can call who can come over and stay with you? You shouldn't be alone with the baby coming."

"I – yes, I have a friend here I can call – but Daniel – I'll feel silly having you wake everyone up and cause a huge fuss when Jack will probably walk in any moment."

"If he does you can blame him and kick his ass. Still – this is a good excuse to be there when your baby is born. We missed being around for Alexander since he was born – uh – out of state."

She smiled, knowing that he was being careful since they were on an insecure line. 'Out of state' actually meant 'out of galaxy'. "Thanks Daniel, I appreciate that."

"Okay look, I'll be in touch so keep your phone close. If anything happens – I mean _anything_ – call me, okay Sam?"

"Okay." After she hung up the phone she took a deep breath and forced herself to stand up. She was growing increasingly worried and had this ominous feeling that something really was wrong. "Where are you Jack?" she asked for the dozenth time "Don't you dare go and do something to get yourself into trouble. I need you – Alexander needs you and our new baby needs you. Please, come home to me."

The first thing he knew was pain. His whole right side felt like it was on fire and he had trouble catching his breath. He couldn't figure out what had happened, or where he was yet. That would come in a second. First, he had to make sure he was in one piece.

He slowly opened his eyes and immediately panicked. He was blind – damnit all to hell – he couldn't see a thing! A few seconds later, after his heart had stopped trying to force its way out of his throat, and his breathing slowed, he tried again. This time he realized that he couldn't see because it was dark out – and one of his eyes was swollen completely shut. Okay – that explained the headache and the burning on his forehead and down his face. He tried to lift his hand to feel for the damage. After a few minutes – when the screaming pain in his arm had settled to a slowly beating rhythm – he took another breath and this time made the attempt with his _other_ arm. Although stiff, it didn't appear to be hurt, at least not like the other one. He felt gently on his head and face and discovered cuts, scrapes and swollen tissue. Oh yeah, he had a shiner all right. He was also bleeding from a gash above his left temple.

Now all he had to do was figure out where the hell he was. His mind was pretty confused – to say the least. He was sure he wasn't off world – no, he was sitting in an earth vehicle – so he must not have gone through the gate. Was he close to home in – Colorado? He frowned. That didn't seem right but – he couldn't remember anything else.

Maybe he was at his cabin? He tried moving his head – slowly, carefully – but still had trouble seeing anything. All he knew was that he was in a car and he was hurt. His eyes began to drift close and he allowed himself to rest. He was so tired, he just wanted to sleep.

She decided to try Jack's cell again with the hope that he'd hear it and pick up. She wanted nothing more than to hear his voice telling her he was on his way home. She'd throw her arms around him and tell him how sorry she was and how much she loved him. She just wanted him with her.

The phone rang once, twice, three times, then four. She knew that after the fifth ring his voice mail would click in. She was about ready to press the button to hang up, when she heard a click.

Jack was almost asleep when he heard a strange noise. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't figure out what it was. It happened again and it was on the third ring that he remembered. It was his phone and he also realized that he could feel it vibrating, on each ring, in his pocket.

He carefully reached down, thankful it was in his right pant pocket, and retrieved the phone. It hurt, but he managed to pull it out and then fumbled for the button. He almost dropped it, at one point, unable to grasp it tightly with his blood covered hand.

He finally managed to hit the button and knew he'd connected. The problem was, he didn't really have the energy to lift it to his ear.

He heard a faint 'hello _Jack'_ and tried to respond but the words didn't want to come out in anything that resembled a spoken language. He was pretty sure he'd grunted, but didn't know if the person at the other end of the line had heard him. He just wished he knew what this was all about.

Sam heard the click and knew someone was on the line. She could hear something – but no one spoke. There certainly wasn't the sound of voices or music, so that seemed to preclude him being in a bar. Still, he wasn't responding. "Jack?" she asked, but there was nothing.

Just then she heard a noise – it sounded human, although she couldn't distinguish any words. She felt a cold shiver run up her spine. Something was wrong – definitely wrong. "Jack, if that's you, just stay on the line. I'm going to get help, okay? It's me, Sam, just hang on there and help will be on the way."

Sam? Carter? Why was Carter calling him? He tried shaking his head but stopped when the pain almost made him pass out. He still held the phone and could hear her voice but couldn't figure out what to do about it. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe they _were_ on a mission somewhere and she was trying to give him a 'sit rep'. He tried licking his lips – God, he was so thirsty – and again tried lifting his hand. This time he made it almost to his ear, although when he saw the phone he was confused. Shouldn't he have a radio on a mission? Since when did they use cell phones off world?

"Car-" he croaked, into the phone.

"Oh God Jack – is that you?"

Jack? Why was she calling him 'Jack'. "Col - nel", he replied. They were on a mission – she should still use proper military protocol. He wasn't a hard ass like some in the military, but he did believe in proper discipline (except for Daniel of course, who wouldn't know discipline if it came up and bit him in the ass!).

"Colonel – what? Jack, can you hear me? It's Sam – your wife, Sam. Are you alright? What's happened? Where are you?"

Okay – she was talking way too fast and throwing all sorts of things at him that were totally confusing. Yes, he could hear her – he could hear Carter – but why was she calling herself his _wife_ for god's sake? It's not like it wasn't a nice thought – hell, it was much more than nice – but it couldn't' happen. They served together and they were on a mission. At least – he thought they were on a mission, but why was she asking him where he was? Didn't she know? Or could it be that he'd been captured? That would explain the pain – although the car part was still confusing.

"JACK!" her voice came over loudly and he started.

"Huh?" he muttered, resting his head forward on the steering wheel. He was careful to lay the right side down as everything on the left hurt too badly. All he wanted to do was sleep.

While Sam had been talking to Jack on the phone she'd made her way to her purse to retrieve her cell. She needed to contact someone right away and tell them about Jack. Without thought she hit speed dial and called Daniel.

"Sam?"

"Hi Daniel. I've got Jack on the phone and something's wrong. I think he's hurt. Can you call Landry and ask him to get someone to track Jack's cell signal."

"He doesn't know where he is?" he asked.

"He's not coherent. I don't think he knows what's going on – that's why I'm pretty sure he's either hurt or drugged."

"Do you think he could be drunk?"

"It's possible, but not likely."

"Okay Sam, I'll do it right away. Have you called someone to come over yet?"

"No – I have to go Daniel. Just hurry, please."

Daniel stood looking at his phone for a second and then shook his head and called Landry back. He'd been speaking to him a few seconds ago, but now had something concrete. He also wanted to ask a huge favor.

"Jack, are you still there?"

"Hmmm", he replied, almost passed out again. "Not – Jack – Colonel", he murmured softly.

"What? Jack?" She wasn't sure if she'd heard him correctly, but she was beginning to realize that he thought he was still 'Colonel' O'Neill, rather than General. If that was the case – oh God – that's why he kept calling her 'Carter', although even now he sometimes did refer to her that way – usually in moments of either exasperation – or passion.

"Colonel", she said sharply.

"What?" he jerked his head up and moaned in agony. He blinked a couple of times. What was he doing? He was on a mission for god's sake. He needed to stay alert. "Carter – what – what's the – situation?"

"I don't know Sir – you'll have to tell me. Do you know where you are?"

"Where - ?"

"Yes Sir. Can you look around you and tell me where you are? Are there lights, people, anything you recognize?"

"Huh? Dan – iel, Teal'c?" he asked. Was his team okay?

"Colonel – Daniel, Teal'c and I are fine. It's you who is missing. We need to find you and bring you home with us. So please Sir – look around and tell me where you are."

He forced himself to lift up his head. He was relieved that the others were okay but he clearly needed to get out of wherever he was and make it back to earth. He blinked a few times, trying to see if the lights would come up, but things still stayed dark.

He carefully turned his head and looked around. He was in a – car? That didn't seem right. Maybe this was another of – what was her name? – oh yeah, Hathor. Maybe she'd designed a fake car to make him think he was on earth.

"Hath – or", he said haltingly, trying to let Carter know his suspicions.

"Hathor? Sir, she's dead. You killed her, remember?"

"Dead?"

"Yes Sir. Please, just tell me where you are."

"Looks like – car – earth – car. Not – Hath – or?"

"No, it's not Hathor Sir. You really are in a car. Are there lights outside? Can you see houses or people?"

"Houses?"

"Yes Sir. Look out the window and tell me what you can see."

He squinted – which was a mistake considering his swollen eye – and tried to look through the window. The front window – which was pretty smashed up looking – was totally black. He thought it might be the darkness of night, but then realized that there were things sticking through the window. He pulled back, gasping in pain, when he saw the arms reaching for him. God – it was the snakes – the Goa'uld were coming to get him.

"Goa' – uld Carter. Coming!"

"No Sir – there are no Goa'uld here. Tell me exactly what you are seeing." God – she hoped there weren't Goa'uld involved in this.

He tried to settle down but it was hard. There was nothing that terrified him quite so much as the thought of being Goa'ulded again – that and something happening to Alex. He stopped at that thought. Who the hell was Alex and why would he be nervous about something happening to him?

"Al – Alex?" he asked. He was pretty sure he heard a sob on the other end of the phone – although that wasn't at all like Carter. "Car – ter – wrong?"

"I'm fine Sir. Alex is – Alex is an important new member of your team, remember? You said you would look after him. He needs you Sir – you have to tell me where you are so we can bring you back and you can look after Alex."

"Al –ex – doesn't – like me", he replied, although he had no idea where that came from.

"Yes Sir – yes he does. He lov – likes you a lot and he really needs you. You promised you'd watch out for him Sir so come on, get your ass in gear and give me some information soldier!"

He took another breath and this time really tried to concentrate. If he'd promised this – Alex – he'd be there for him, well he damn well better be. He looked again at the snake-like creatures in front of him and watched as they slowly morphed into – trees! There were branches sticking through the broken front window of the car.

He turned then to the right and saw more trees, but this time they were outside the car. The passenger side window looked to be okay. He tried looking out the left side but wasn't able to turn his body far enough and he couldn't see a thing from his left eye.

"Trees", he muttered into the phone. His hand was getting tired and he wasn't to drop it and go back to sleep.

"Colonel! Stay with me now. Don't you dare fall asleep!"

He couldn't figure out what had gotten into Carter all of a sudden. She was tossing around orders at him as if he was some young recruit instead of a 4 star – wait – he was a _Colonel_! Where the hell did the 'General' come from? As if they'd _ever_ make him a General. He laughed softly – until a sharp pain stopped that in its tracks. "General O'Neill", he chortled. "Not – bloody – likely!"

Sam kept trying to talk to Jack to figure out where he could be. So far all she knew was that there were trees where he was. Well, since they lived in a heavily treed part of the country, that didn't do much good. She was waiting to hear back from Daniel – to find out what steps were being taken to locate her husband, when she heard a knock on the door. Since it was 1:00 am she was a little nervous as she made her way to the door. Checking through the peep-hole she was more than relieved – she was downright thrilled – to see the faces of Daniel, Teal'c and Cassie. She quickly unlocked the door.

"What are you _doing _here?" she asked them, giving each of them a big hug.

"Landry got the Daedalus to pick us up and then beam us over. We got them to put us in your back yard so no one would see."

"God – it's so good to see you."

"Any word on anything?" Daniel asked, as they all walked to the Living room.

"No – I still have Jack on the phone but all I know is that there are trees where he is."

"You want me to try?" Daniel asked gently. "Landry has the cavalry out looking for him, so it shouldn't be long."

"Thank God", she murmured, handing him the phone.

"Jack, hi. It's me Daniel."

They could hear some loud – and uneven – breathing and then a shaky voice answered. "Dann – y?"

"Yes Jack, I'm here. Teal'c is here as well as are Cassie and Sam."

"Jan – et?" he asked.

Everyone glanced at Cassie – who looked as if she was trying not to cry. She leaned forward and took the phone. "Hi Uncle Jack. I'm here for my Mom, okay? She asked me to look after you for her."

"Kay", he answered, clearly having trouble speaking. "Jan – et – power mong – er – but gotta – love her."

"Yes, we all love her", Cassie said, this time the tears running unchecked down her face. "My Mom wants to know where you are Uncle Jack. Can you describe the area you're in?"

Jack tried to look around again, carefully this time, using the methods he'd been trained to use. "Trees – lots of – trees", he said again. "No – people. Country – dark, no – lights."

"Okay, that's great. There are lots of trees and no lights or people. It does sound like you're out in the country. Do you see or smell the ocean?"

"Ocean?"

"Yes, do you think you're by the ocean or a body of water?"

"No – no water. Rain. It was – raining."

All the while Cassie was talking, Daniel was on his phone, passing on the information.

"It was raining and there are lots of trees. Anything else you can tell me Uncle Jack?"

"No", his voice was sounding fainter with each passing moment. Cassie was beginning to look distressed so Teal'c reached over and took the phone.

"O'Neill", he said calmly.

"Teal'c – that – you?"

"Yes my friend, it is I. You must concentrate O'Neill – if we are to retrieve you we must have more information. You are a warrior, a soldier, your duty is to think and to tell us where you are. You _must_ do this O'Neill."

Jack knew that Teal'c was right. He wasn't being a good officer right now. He had to get back to his team and to – Alex. He forced himself to wake up and to try and think. Where was he? What had he been doing to get himself in this situation? He peered at the inside of the car and then tried to look outside again. This time he concentrated, and looked beyond the trees. It was only then that he realized something. He was sitting at a strange angle. The car was tilted slightly on its side and the left side was jammed against solid earth. The passenger window was tilted up, although he couldn't see the sky, only trees.

It came to him with a flash – mountains – he was in the mountains. He'd been driving and the next thing he knew, he'd woken up here. He couldn't quite figure how his team played out in this whole thing but at least they were safe.

"Mount –ains", he explained. "Stuck, in car."

"You are stuck in your car O'Neill and you are in the mountains." Teal'c looked at Daniel and Sam, his eyebrow raised. Daniel immediately nodded and spoke into his phone. "Just stay on the phone my friend, help is on the way."

"'Kay – no – "Goa'uld Teal'c?" he said. He worried that he'd be discovered before his team got him away.

"There are no Goa'uld here O'Neill. You are perfectly safe. You are on earth and we are searching for you. We will bring you home my friend."

"Earth?" Why was he on a mission on earth? He couldn't understand what was happening as he grew increasingly weak and tired. All he knew, as he faded out, was that his team was coming for him so he'd be okay. His fingers slowly relaxed and the phone slipped out of his hand and onto the floor. It didn't really matter anyway, as the battery was about to die.

"O'Neill. _O'Neill_", Teal'c said into the phone, but there was no answer. He looked over at Sam and Daniel and shook his head. "He is no longer responding", he said.

Sam let out a small whimper and clutched her stomach. The contractions were getting harder and closer together but she had to concentrate on Jack. Oh God – what if he was dead?

"Sam, take it easy and sit down", Cassie came over and helped the woman who was now the only Mother she had left, and led her to the couch. "Do you need to go to the hospital", she asked.

"No, no I'm fine. It'll be a while yet. What's happening?" she looked at Daniel. "Haven't they found him yet?"

"The Daedalus is looking and so are the police Sam. I told them that he's somewhere in the mountains so that narrows the search." He didn't have the heart to tell her they'd lost the cell phone signal. Either Jack had turned off the phone or the battery was dead. Either way, it was now a race against time.

The four friends sat and waited for word hoping and praying that Jack would soon be found. Sam continued to stand and walk around the room and then rest on the couch. Pretty soon the pains began getting more severe and she had to stop and breathe through them. Teal'c, Daniel and Cassie all took turns walking with her and supporting her, both physic ally and emotionally.

Suddenly, Daniel's phone rang. "Hello", he answered. He looked up and mouthed 'Daedalus'. "Okay, great!" He smiled and nodded. "Can you beam him up?" He listened for a few moments, and nodded again. "Okay, let us know. Thanks."

"That was the Commander of the Daedalus. They found him. His car was found just off the Blue Ridge Parkway."

"Oh thank God – did they beam him up?" Sam asked, wondering briefly what he was doing all the way out there.

"Uh – unfortunately he said they can't. It has something to do with where his car is. It looks like it – went off the road and is surrounded by trees. It's lying against the side of a mountain and the Captain said they can't get a good enough read on it to get him out. The police and ambulance have been notified and they're going to his position. They should get him out soon."

Sam just nodded, wanting to scream that no, they had to be able to get him, but she knew logically that sometimes technology just wasn't able to help – that they needed 'human power'. "Did they say how long?"

"No, although he figures they'll be in position soon. It's just a matter of how long it takes to get to him. I guess – " he stopped, not wanting to worry her.

"What? Daniel, it's worse not knowing. Please, just tell me." Sam said, looking at her friend.

"It – it looks like his car went off the side of a cliff. The police said it was raining and he may have lost control. It may take a while to get to him."

"Oh God", she gasped, wrapping her arms around herself as another contraction hit. "What if he's dead?"

"O'Neill?" Teal'c said calmly. "He has too much to live for Samantha. He is strong and he will hold on. He knows we will not leave him and therefore was able to rest, confident that we will bring him home."

"But we're not", she cried. "We're just sitting here, doing nothing."

"Sam – you're having his baby, that's not doing 'nothing'", Cassie said, holding her hand. "Jack will hold on. You know him well enough by now. He's as stubborn as they come and he'll make damn sure he's here for you and his kids. I think Teal'c's right. He just stayed conscious enough to make sure we knew he was alive and to hear that someone's coming for him. He probably just fell asleep. I _know_ he'll be okay. There's no way Jack O'Neill is going to let something like a little car accident take him away from all he has."

"But I was horrible to him", she cried. "I practically accused him of hurting Alexander and he'd _never_ do anything like that!"

The others were silent, surprised by her admission. If there was anything each of them knew it was that Jack O'Neill would _never _hurt a child, least of all his own.

"Sam – you're tired and very pregnant. Jack knows that. I'm sure he just left to cool down. If he'd made it back you guys would have talked and worked everything out." Daniel said logically.

"What if we can't? What if he – doesn't make it? I'll never forgive myself."

"Now is not the time to be thinking such things Samantha", Teal'c said sternly. "O'Neill knows you love him. He undoubtedly needed to 'cool off' as Daniel has said. I have never known two people who love each other the way you and O'Neill do. Arguments are common between couples but neither of you would have let this destroy what you have together. You must concentrate on giving birth and on the fact that O'Neill will be well and will be overjoyed to see his new child."

The words of her friends calmed her down. Teal'c was right – she had to concentrate right now on giving birth to this baby. She needed to focus and to remain confident that everything would be okay.

It was almost an hour later before they received another call. As before, Daniel took it and spoke briefly to the person on the other line. Sam almost broke into tears when she saw Daniel give a grin and a 'thumbs up'. After hanging up the phone he looked at them.

"He's alive", he said. "They found his car and said it's a miracle he survived. The car hit a bit tree and it stopped it from going all the way down the mountain. They said if it had there was no way he would have survived. As it is they say he'll be okay. Paramedics are at the scene and are treating him until they can get him out and take him to the hospital."

"Oh thank God!" She did burst into tears at that moment, completely relieved and grateful. She soon discovered that uncontrollable crying was a difficult thing to do in the middle of severe contractions. She knew her friends were looking at her in concern so, once the last contraction was over, she sat up and wiped her face. "I'm okay – just relieved", she said. "Do we know where they're taking him?"

"They're bringing him in by chopper once they have him out", he said. "There are too many people around to beam him out but the Daedalus is standing by just in case they're needed. They'll let us know which hospital."

Sam nodded and waited for the next contraction. She knew she'd have to go to the hospital herself soon, and she asked Daniel to call her doctor and midwife and let them know. She almost started to cry again when she realized Jack wouldn't be with her. He had been so looking forward to being at the birth again. She hated that he would miss it, but was thankful he was alive.


	2. The Crowning Moment

Jack thought he heard voices, but figured he must be imagining them. It was only as he felt a sharp prick in his arm that he opened his eyes, ready to defend himself. The problem was, he was too weak and disoriented to really _do_ anything. So instead, he just looked at the man leaning over him.

"It's okay General O'Neill. We going to get you out of here real soon and get you to a hospital. You're going to be okay."

General? Who the hell was the guy talking to? "Col –onel", he grunted, although the effort was almost too much.

"Sorry Sir?" the man asked as he continued to do something to him. He glanced down and saw what looked like a tube sticking out of his arm. What the hell was this? "General O'Neill, can you look at me Sir?"

He wished they'd stop that, he thought irritably. Why did they keep calling him that? They must have him confused with someone else, or maybe the guy just didn't know much about the military.

"Sir, I need you to look at me."

He lifted his eyes and tried to glare at the guy but was pretty sure it was a feeble attempt, especially considering the fact that he really could only open one eye.

Of course! He should have known – the sadist shone a light in his eye, which made him jerk his head away – which HURT LIKE HELL!

"Ow!" he grunted.

"I'm sorry Sir, but I need to check your pupils. I'm afraid I need to look in the other one. I'll be careful but I do need to look."

Jack just grunted and allowed the man to lift up the swollen lid. It hurt, but not too badly, and this time he was a little prepared. Unfortunately, he couldn't really see anything out of that eye as it was completely blurry.

"Okay, thank you Sir." The man fumbled around with some of his equipment and then took out some kind of wet wipe. "We're going to have you out of here in no time General. I'm afraid they just have to cut the door off because things are pretty jammed up. In the meantime I'm going to clean and bandage that wound on your head, okay?"

"Kay", he muttered, still wondering what was going on. "Carter?" he asked, needing to know she was okay.

"Carter Sir?" the man looked confused although he continued to work on his head.

"Carter – my – Major."

"Your major? Uh, there's no one else here but you Sir. We've told your wife and friends you're okay and they're waiting for you back in DC. You'll see them soon."

Wife? DC? What was going on? He and – Sara – had been divorced for years. He didn't have a – wait – he had a flash of a - wedding? He just had bits and pieces of it run through his mind but he could remember standing with Daniel and Teal'c, waiting for someone. He was terribly frustrated as the memory wouldn't take hold and he felt as if there was something vitally important that he had to remember.

"How's it going Dave", a voice called from outside.

"Okay. His vital signs are pretty good although he's a bit disoriented. Looks like a concussion and some broken bones. I don't think there are any other internal injuries but it's impossible to say for sure until we get him out of here." The guy turned and looked at the bloody and bruised man beside him. "You hanging in there General?" he asked. He was surprised at how calm the injured man appeared. He must have been in pain but he seemed to be holding on pretty well. Must be because he's a General, he thought. He's probably seen some pretty tough action.

Dave Connor didn't know anything about the man he was tending, other than the fact that he was someone important. They'd gotten word directly from the President's office as well as the Pentagon that they'd better make sure he was okay and to get him to a hospital as quickly as possible. Some pretty senior Air Force officers as well as presidential staff were waiting up top, clearly worried about this man.

It took a while longer, but eventually the emergency crew had stabilized the car and had cut it open with the 'Jaws of life'. They got a back board and Dave managed to put a neck brace on the complaining General.

"Don't need – that", he'd argued. "M'okay."

"No Sir, you're not. You've been hurt and we want to keep you from getting even more hurt. We have to stabilize you before we can take you up top. Soon you'll be in a nice cozy hospital bed and then you can relax."

"Kay", he finally agreed, seeming too tired to argue any more.

If the paramedic had known the man he was working on, he would have been surprised at the easy acquiescence. As it was, he got out the neck brace and, as gently as he could, put it on the wounded man. "You can really be thankful for these trees Sir", he said as he worked. "If it wasn't for them you would have been a goner."

He was surprised at the sudden crack of laughter from the General. He glanced at him in surprise.

"My – team – will never let me – forget it", he explained breathlessly. "Hate – trees!"

"They hate trees?" Dave asked, perplexed.

"No – me – always said – I hated – trees!"

"Oh, I see. Well I think you should embrace them now Sir", he said with a grin. "They saved your life."

"Yeah", Jack laughed again, although it hurt. Sam was going to give him hell over this one, he suddenly realized. What a stupid thing to do Jack, he said to himself. All over a petty little – wait – he frowned. Sam? He had a sudden memory of Samantha Carter curled up beside him in bed – of Sam kissing him and - . Okay, he officially knew he'd gotten one too many cracks on the head. He was definitely hallucinating. He and Samantha Carter were _not_ married – as much as he might wish it were true.

"We're taking you out now General. This may hurt but we'll get you to hospital quickly and they'll get you some nice pain medication. Just hold on Sir."

He gave a small nod and took a breath. This wasn't going to be pleasant – but as long as he got to see his team soon, he'd make it.

"They've got him Sam", Daniel said, as he hung up the phone. "They're bringing him up the mountain and he should be in the hospital in another 20 minutes or so. The Paramedic who's with him said he's looking pretty good. He's hurt, but his vital signs are strong. According to him the General was even laughing about something."

"Thank you Daniel", Sam said softly a wave of relief washing over her. She wanted to cry again, but knew she had to hang on. "I think it's time for me to go to the hospital too. The contractions are coming more quickly." She turned to Cassie. "Can you stay here with Alex? He'll probably be unhappy when I'm not there in the morning – he's been a bit fussy lately."

"Don't worry Sam. I'll take care of him just fine. I'll take him to the park and entertain him." Cassie leaned forward and gave Sam a kiss on the cheek. "You just look after yourself and bring back a little brother or sister for Alex. I'm glad Jack is okay."

"Thanks Cas", Sam smiled. "I'm so glad you're here."

Teal'c retrieved the small bag she had packed and ready for the hospital and the two men helped her to the car. "Which way Sam?" Daniel asked.

Sam directed him to Sibley hospital where her OB had privileges. She didn't know anything about hospital births after delivering Alexander on Othalla, but she'd been told it was a good hospital.

They arrived a few minutes later and she was swiftly admitted. Her midwife met her there and checked her over. "You're about 7 centimeters Sam. It will probably be a few hours. How's Jack?" Daniel had told her what had happened.

"He's alive Jaimie, that's all we really know, although they said he'll be okay."

"Well good – he's pretty tough and I'm sure he'll be fine."

"I just wish he was here", she said, feeling terribly emotional.

"I know sweetie", Jaimie gave her a hug. "But look at the bright side – he'll wake up to a beautiful new baby."

Her midwife helped her through the next few contractions and then there was a knock on the door. Jaimie answered it and Daniel and Teal'c were standing there.

"Sam, I just wanted to let you know they're bringing him in. We told them you were here so they decided to admit him to this hospital. They should arrive in five minutes."

"Can you -?"

"Yeah, Teal'c and I are going down right away to see how he's doing. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"One of you stay with him, okay?"

"Don't worry Sam – we'll watch out for both of you."

After they'd gone Jaimie looked at her and smiled. "You have pretty special friends", she said.

"Yes, yes I do. They're family really", she explained. Soon she was concentrating solely on her contractions.

Daniel and Teal'c arrived in Emergency just as they were wheeling Jack in. Daniel took one look at his friend on the gurney and winced. His face was all bloody and bruised, although clearly they'd tried to clean him up. One eye was swollen shut and was a brilliant rainbow of colors. One of his arms was splinted and was taped to his side. He had a neck brace on and an IV in his arm. All in all, he looked pretty battered.

"Dan'l" a soft voice interrupted his examination. He lifted his eyes to see Jack looking at him –obviously bleary, but it was him.

"Jack", he walked up beside the gurney, "How ya doing?"

"O –kay", his friend answered. "A bit – battered."

"Yeah", he laughed, "You look it. We're just glad you're okay."

"Carter? Teal'c?" Jack asked.

"I am here O'Neill", Teal'c too stepped up beside the gurney which was being rolled into a room where doctors and nurses were waiting. "Samantha is here, but she is in labor."

"Labor?" Jack frowned. "What – kind of – labor?" Was he wrong? Were they not on earth? Maybe she was being held somewhere and forced to work. If that was the case though, why were Daniel and Teal'c here?

"You'll have to wait outside", one of the Doctors said gently. "We'll take care of your friend."

"Wait", Jack tried to reach out and stop Teal'c, who had turned to leave. "Carter – where?"

"Colonel Carter is even now having your child O'Neill. She is well – she just wishes you to heal and so you may see your new child. She loves you very much. Would you like to send her a message?"

Having my child? There it was again – this strange sense that he was missing something. As the doctors began working on him he tried hard to concentrate. The wedding – maybe it _had_ been real. Then there were other moments when he remembered Carter – no – _Sam_. He saw her laughing, teasing him, feeding their child.

OH MY GOD! Alexander! He had a son – he and Sam – they were married and they had a child – and she was about to give birth to another one! And he was stuck in a damn hospital bed. Suddenly everything came flooding back to him, except for the part about the accident. The last thing he remembered was pulling away from his house, hurt and angry at Sam over – God, something really stupid.

He had to see her. He began to reach for the tubes sticking out of his arm and was stopped by a nurse. "General O'Neill, just relax. We need to check you out."

_General_! Oh god, that was true too. He was a damned General – who would have thought! He tried again to move, to sit up, and to go see Sam, but was restrained by the nurses.

"No – got to – go see – wife."

"Your wife is fine Sir", a nurse said calmly. They'd all been told that this man's wife was even now in the same hospital, ready to deliver their child. "Just let us work here and we'll get you out of here quicker that way and you can go see her, okay."

He nodded, knowing that they weren't about to let him go until they'd finished their sadistic tests. "Hurry", he said. "Need to see – Sam."

"We know Sir and we're going as fast as we can."

Daniel returned to Sam's room while Teal'c remained outside of the emergency room. About half an hour after O'Neill had been brought in he saw him being moved out of the room. Following the gurney he was told that his friend was being taken to X-Ray.

"He's looking good", the nurse told him. "We just half to check for breaks and anything else. He should be sent up to the floor soon."

"Teal'c" Jack was looking at him, more clear-eyed than he'd been before. "Sam – how is she?"

"You remember, O'Neill?"

"That she's my wife", he grinned, "Yeah – just got a knock on the head and was confused for a bit. She's okay?"

"She is fine. She is very strong although she was worried about you. Now that she knows you are going to be fine she will concentrate on having your child."

"Damn – I wanted to be there! Tell her I love her, okay, and that I'm sorry for getting myself in this stupid situation."

"I am sure you did not intend to let this happen, but I will certainly convey your feelings. You take care my friend. We are all here and will watch over Samantha and over you. You need not worry."

It was true, thought Jack, as they wheeled him in to get the X-rays, he didn't need to worry, not with Teal'c and Daniel here. Teal'c had also informed him that Cassie was watching Alexander. He smiled as he thought of his son. He couldn't wait to see him again – and to see his new child. He sighed – he just wished he wasn't stuck in bed.

"He wished me to inform you that he loves you Samantha", Teal'c had come to report on Jack's status, "and that he is 'sorry, for being stupid." Okay – so maybe Teal'c paraphrased a bit, but the sentiment was the same.

"God, he wasn't the one who was stupid", she answered, "that would be me!"

"It doesn't matter Sam – what matters is that you love each other and that you're having a baby", Daniel said as he stood by her bed.

She smiled slightly but then frowned as another contraction began. Crap – they really hurt now.

"Okay General" the Doctor said, pulling off her gloves. "You're all set. It looks like you were lucky and got off with a light concussion, two broken ribs, a broken humerus – ah upper arm – a dislocated shoulder and various scrapes and bruises. We've had to put some stitches in the cut on your head but the others should heal just fine on their own. You'll be sore for a while but you should be able to get out of here in a couple of days. We're going to admit you and the orderly will take you up to your room shortly." She patted his arm gently. "You take care of yourself and next time, try not to do battle with any more trees!"

He grinned and thanked her, feeling better now that they'd given him some good drugs and that he knew he was going to be okay. For a while there he'd thought - !. His smile faded however, as he thought about his wife. God, if he could only see her.

"Nurse", he called, a sudden thought popping in his head. It wouldn't hurt to try.

Sam's contractions were coming fast and furiously now. Daniel and Jaimie were helping her through them, for which she was grateful, but she really wanted and needed Jack. He knew how to keep her calm and focused – and wouldn't be offended if she screamed at him!

Why did this have to happen now? Hell, why did it have to happen at all?

"Sam, I need you to concentrate", her midwife squeezed her hand. "Jack is going to be just fine – you need to pay attention to your body and the little one who wants to see its Mommy and Daddy!"

"I know – I'm – sorry. I just want – Jack!"

At that moment there was a bit of a commotion in the hallway and then the door opened. Teal'c stuck his head in. "I have someone who would like to see you Samantha", he said, a small grin on his face. "Unfortunately, you must prepare yourself because he is not pretty." With that he stepped back and held the door wide and in wheeled in a very battered looking Jack O'Neill in a wheelchair being pushed by an orderly.

"_Jack_", she screeched. "Oh my God – you're okay!"

"Well – a bit bruised – but yeah, I'll be fine." Actually, he was feeling pretty high with all the drugs – but even more so from seeing his wife. The temporary loss of memory made the reunion all the sweeter. He felt like he'd just won the lottery – and that he was the luckiest man in the world. The sudden recollection that Sam was _his_ – his wife, the mother of his child – had made him want to dance for joy- if, of course, he'd been able to dance, which right now would be a near impossibility.

The orderly wheeled him over to her bed. He reached out with his good arm and took her hand. "I'm sorry Sam – sorry for doing this stupid thing and putting you through this."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for – it was me! I'm the one who was stupid! I know you would never, ever hurt Alex. I was just being – emotional and bitchy. I think I was just tired and ready to have this baby! Oh my love – you look so sore. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine - it looks worse than it is. They say I can go home in a day or two. As for the other - I know Sam – it's really okay and I think we should just forget it. How are _you_?" he looked up at Jaimie at that.

"She's doing well. It won't be long now. Are you well enough to be here Jack?" the midwife asked.

"Yeah – I'm fine. I don't want to miss this. I can rest later."

"Jack, are you sure?" Sam asked, looking at him. Again, another contraction hit – which actually relieved him as he didn't' have to answer her question.

Of course he wasn't okay – he hurt and he had a bunch of broken bones – but he didn't care. He wanted to be here when his child was born.

"I'm fine", he said softly, reaching over to wipe her face. Of course the fact that it caused his ribs to protest in pain didn't faze him. This was Carter.

"What happened?" she said, turning her head to look at him.

"Oh, I just wanted to get out of the city for a bit – thought I'd take a drive to the mountains. I don't know what caused the accident – don't remember."

"I'm just glad you're okay", she answered, the happiness and relief evidence of just _how_ glad.

During the next hour there was little talking, although Jack continued to tell her how strong, how wonderful, how loved she was. It was exactly what she needed to get her through the pain of childbirth.

Daniel and Teal'c were both there this time and helped as well. They also both kept a close watch on Jack, worried for their friend who was looking pale. At one point Teal'c made him lie down on the couch in the birthing room. "That is what it is here for O'Neill", he'd said. "The nurse informed me it is provided for fathers to rest during labor."

"Teal'c!" Jack had protested as his large friend wheeled him over to the couch and helped him out of the chair.

"Would you prefer to return to your room O'Neill? I will take you there if you continue to act childish."

Well that shut him up! He glared at his friend but was secretly relieved to be able to lie down for a while. He wondered if he could get some more pain medication.

"Do not worry", Teal'c stood and watched him. "I will help you back into the chair when it is time. For now, let your friends support you and Samantha. We will not leave her or you."

"I know buddy", Jack smiled. "Carter – I'm right here", he called as he closed his eyes – or eye really, since one was already closed. He just needed to rest for a few minutes and he'd be right as rain.

"How's he doing?" Daniel whispered, as he wiped Sam's face with a damp cloth and held her hand through the contraction.

"He is tired but will be fine. I believe he is sleeping. We will let him remain that way until it is time for his child to be born."

Daniel looked over to the couch and couldn't help but smile. His friend looked terribly beat up but also relaxed. His mouth was hanging open slightly and he was breathing deeply. Yup – he was sound asleep.

"How – is he?" asked Sam, not having heard Teal'c's explanation and still worried about her husband.

"He's fine Sam. Teal'c made him lie down and take a nap. We'll wake him up when it's time for the baby to come. In the meantime – do you mind Teal'c and me as substitutes?"

"Just – as long as you don't mind if I – scream at you?"

"That's fine", he answered with a grin. "We're at your service."

"I would just ask that you do not vomit on me Samantha", Teal'c replied calmly. "I do not see it as a unique human habit to be studied", he continued, referring obliquely to the episode with Thor.

She choked back the laugh but replied breathlessly. "I'll try not to Teal'c, although I can't promise. I'd suggest you have the bowl ready just in case."

For the next hour and a half the two men supported her as the contractions continued. She was exhausted and in pain, but refused any kind of relief. Her midwife too helped her through the worst of it. Her OB came in at one point and took a look at her.

"You're doing fine Sam. You're getting close – you're at nine centimeters so baby O'Neill should be here soon. Jaimie can call me if she needs me for anything but I'm sure you'll both do just fine."

A new contraction had started by this time so Sam didn't reply as the doctor left the room

"I think it's time that we get everything ready", Jaimie said calmly. "One of you should probably wake Jack up and tell him things are about to happen." As Teal'c helped her set up the bed for the birth Daniel walked over to the couch.

"Jack", he shook his friend gently. "Jack, come on. It's time for the baby."

Jack's one eye opened and looked at him. Daniel could tell he was pretty out of it and probably didn't even know where he was. He squatted down beside the couch and reached out and put his hand on Jack's good shoulder. "Jack, remember – you're in the hospital. Sam's in labor and about to have the baby. You were in an accident but you're okay. Do you want me to move you over to Sam?"

Jack blinked a couple of times and wet his lips with his tongue. "Water?" he asked softly. Daniel got up and got him a drink.

"Here", he helped Jack carefully sit up and take a drink. After that his mind seemed to clear.

"Yeah- help me over", he said. He was looking as Sam, who was disheveled and sweaty and exhausted and who had never looked more beautiful. By the time he arrived at the bed he was sweating as well from the pain he was feeling.

Daniel looked down at the General and frowned. He looked terrible. "I'll be right back", he said. He quickly walked to the nurses' station and spoke to one of the nurses. She assured him she's send someone right away.

Daniel headed back and within moments a nurse appeared. "General O'Neill, I'm just going to give you some more pain medication, okay?" she said as she walked up to his IV pole and injected a syringe into his line. For once he didn't complain – he just waited for the warm and soothing release.

"Okay Sam, looks like we've hit 'zero hour'", her midwife said. "You're fully dilated, so it's time to push."

"I don't think I can", Sam cried. She was so tired!

"Yes – you can Carter. Just a little pushing and it – will be all over."

"Easy for you to say _General_", she said angrily. "You don't have to do it! All you did was 'wham, bam, thank you ma'am and your job was done!"

He was pretty sure he heard a 'snort' from Daniel but when he glared the man the archaeologist gave him an innocent look in return. "Uh Sam – you might just want to remember Daniel and Teal'c are here."

"I don't care!" she cried. "You're all men and will never –"

"Okay Sam", Jaimie interrupted, "less talking and more pushing, okay?"

"Thank God", her husband muttered, much to the delight of everyone in the room, except Sam.

For the next 40 minutes Sam worked like she'd never worked before – or at least since Alexander was born. This time both Daniel and Teal'c helped support her while Jack held her hand and offered emotional support and soothing words.

"Jack, you want to come here and see your child – it's almost ready to be born."

Teal'c wheeled him down a bit until he could see the baby's head. "I can see it Sam – not so much hair as Alexander." Actually that was an exaggeration – the baby head was as bald as a bowling ball - unlike his son who'd had a mop of dark hair.

He watched as Sam gave one final big push and the baby was born, slipping gently into the midwife's hands. He watched as she quickly checked the baby over and grinned when he heard the sound of a small cry. Jaimie put the baby on Sam's stomach and reached for the clamps, which she applied, and then the scissors.

"Do you think you can do it Jack?" Jaimie asked.

He shook his head. "Teal'c, will you do it?"

"I would be honored O'Neill." Teal'c quickly took the scissors and cut the cord.

"There!" Jaimie then moved the baby slightly up on Sam's chest and stood back to wait for the afterbirth.

Daniel and Teal'c also stayed back, knowing this was a moment for the immediate family. Jack forced himself to stand so he could see Sam and the baby more closely. He leaned forward as much as he could and kissed his wife. "You did it", he whispered.

"No – we did it Jack", she smiled and kissed him in return. They both then looked down at the little blanket covered bundle who was rooting around for the breast. "Yup – another O'Neill", she laughed.

"She's beautiful Sam", he said in wonder. God – he had a daughter – a little girl. He could feel the goose bumps rise all over his body and an intense wave of joy spread through him. He was the luckiest man on the earth. He had a beautiful wife, an amazing son and now – now was the crowning moment in his life – a little girl.

"She doesn't have any hair Jack", Sam said, softly stroking her daughter's head.

"No", he grinned. "She'll probably be blond then, just like her Mom."

Sam looked over and grinned back at him. "She is beautiful, isn't she? Oh god", she said, tears filling her eyes. "I'm so glad you were here and that you're okay. I thought – I thought I'd lost you."

"Never Sam – I wouldn't leave you guys."

"Well you'd better sit down or you _will _be leaving us Jack", Daniel said calmly. "The doctor made you promise you'd stay in the wheelchair."

Jack sighed, but knew he'd better sit before he fell. Fortunately the pain meds – or maybe it was the euphoria of the moment – had pretty much taken away the pain. Still, he was weak and the last thing any of them needed was him passing out.

From the vantage point of the wheelchair he watched as Jaimie finished with everything. She weighed the baby and gave her a quick check over to make sure she was okay. She then retrieved the little outfit they'd brought. "Let me just put the cap on her", she'd said. "It'll help keep her warm." She then dressed her quickly in a diaper – god how tiny – and the little one piece sleeper in a gender-neutral yellow. They hadn't known the baby's sex, choosing to be surprised.

And what a surprise, he grinned again. He had a little girl! He wondered what Alex' reaction was going to be. He was now officially a big brother.

"Do you want to hold her Jack", Sam asked him once the baby had finished feeding and was all dressed.

"Yeah – I'll need help though." God, he hated being injured like this! Teal'c got the baby for him, smiling gently down at her.

"Here O'Neill, your daughter", he carefully placed the bundle in the crook of Jack's good arm. "She looks like Samantha."

It was true, thought Jack. Oh, he could certainly see the O'Neill in her – she looked a lot like her brother – but he could also see more of Sam in her than in Alex. He was glad – Sam was a beautiful woman and he was pretty sure their daughter would be gorgeous as well. He suddenly frowned – maybe that wasn't such a good thing!

He held onto his sweet little girl, looking down at her and seeing her big eyes staring up at him. He was absolutely, totally, completely and thoroughly in love. He held her up – carefully – and kissed her velvet cheek. "Hi little girl", he said. "You're beautiful." He couldn't get enough of the sweet baby smell and knew he had become totally emotional as tears dripped from his cheeks.

Right now, however, he didn't care a crap that he was crying. When he looked up at his friends he saw they were equally as soppy. Daniel never had trouble showing emotion – Teal'c now – that was a surprise. Jack was almost positive he saw tears on the man's face.

"Do you guys want to hold her?" Jack finally asked. Daniel stepped forward – this time not nervous about holding a small baby.

"Have you guys – uh decided on a name?" Daniel asked – carefully. He remembered the last time there'd been a question about names.

Jack looked at Sam and they both smiled. This time they were totally in agreement, and had been since the beginning.

"We named her after Sam's Mom", Jack said. He then looked again at his wife and together they said,

"Katherine Janet O'Neill."

"Well welcome to the world Katherine O'Neill", Uncle Daniel said, as he gave the little girl a kiss on the forehead. "And welcome to our team."

_**A short epilogue to follow: Alex meets his baby sister.**_


	3. Kat

_**Please let me know if you want me to continue with this series or not. I'll need lots and lots of reviews (shameless aren't I?) if you want me to continue! Actually no - I would never do that to my faithful readers. But I would like to know if you'd like me to move on to something different. I am still working on my other story so don't worry - and thank you to my reviewers. As always, it makes writing worth while!**_

"General, I'm going to have to take you to your room now. You need to lie down and rest or you're going to end up staying in the hospital even longer." The no nonsense nurse took the breaks off the wheelchair and began to move him towards the door without waiting for him to answer.

"Wait! Just stop and let me say goodbye to my wife and daughter", he cried indignantly.

"You'll see them later", she replied calmly, still wheeling him to the door.

He reached down with his good arm and applied the brake, effectively stopping the chair. "I want to say goodbye to my wife _now_!" he said quietly.

With a loud 'harumph', she replied. "Alright, but be quick. The doctor shouldn't have let you come in here in the first place!" She wheeled him closer, although she stopped just shy of where he could reach his wife. He had to reach down again and try and maneuver the chair closer – something that was difficult to do one armed and his condition.

Jack wanted to glare at the battle-ax of a nurse, but figured she had the power right now so the best thing was to keep quiet. Later on he'd have his say!

"It's okay Jack", Sam said sweetly. "You do need to rest and we're fine. Daniel and Teal'c will watch out for us and pretty soon you'll be home." The two men had gone to get coffee and to let Jack and Sam have some time alone. "I want you to look after yourself and get better quickly, okay?"

"Yeah – I wish - "

"I know, and me too. But I'm just grateful that you're going to be okay. I love you and I'll see you soon."

"Love you too Carter", he smiled. "And you too little Kate." He reached out and carefully put his hand on the sleeping infant. Sam put hers over top of his and they stayed like that for a brief instant, before they were interrupted by the nurse.

"Okay, that's enough now. I'm taking you back to your room." Without so much as a 'by your leave' she turned his chair around and headed into the hallway.

Jack fumed all the way to his room – down the long hall and up two floors in the elevator. By the time they arrived he was ready to take a strip off the nurse, but bit his lip instead. It would serve no purpose right now and he knew he was tired and in pain and more likely to say things he shouldn't. He kept telling himself to be quiet and not say anything.

"There, it's about time you got yourself into bed. I don't know what these doctors and nurses are thinking now days! Letting an injured man stay up like that! Pshaw, in my day men waited outside while their babies were born and didn't need to be right on top of things like that. You need to be in bed, lying down and taking care of yourself. Women have been having babies for thousands of years and your wife should have known better. It was just selfish of her to want you with her. Women these days don't know what it means to be strong and do things on their own."

The nurse wasn't looking at his face as she was speaking. Instead she was putting the arm down on the wheelchair and getting his bed ready for him. If she had been, she would have known it was better to be quiet and keep her opinions to herself.

She helped the General into bed, fiddled with his IV and straightened out his covers. None of it was done with the least semblance of gentleness or consideration, rather with hard-hearted efficiency. The process was quite painful for Jack and it just made him angrier.

"There! Now you're where you should be. No more 'gallivanting around' for you General O'Neill. You just stay here and rest and the doctor will tell you when you can leave." She herself turned to go when she was stopped by the voice of her patient.

Speaking to her from his bed was not Jack, not the fun-loving man, nor Jack the happy new father, but rather _General_ O'Neill – a man used to leading and dealing with pains in the mitka from here to Othalla.

"Stop!" he said quietly, but forcibly. The Nurse – Nurse Dibbly from her name tag – turned and faced him.

"What is it now General?", she asked in a long-suffering voice.

"Don't you _ever_ speak to me that way again, or treat me like I'm some kind of child who has disobeyed his parents. And if you _ever_ speak about my wife that way again I will have serious words with the Administration of this hospital. Samantha Carter is a battle hardened soldier who has had to be _stronger_ than you or anyone you know could ever imagine. I chose to be with my wife while she had our child – after she had spent hours worried that I had killed myself. I also had permission from my doctor to be there. I do not need any holier than thou, self-righteous nurse lecturing me or treating me like an imbecile. You can leave now, and I do not want to see you in my presence again. You can tell – whoever – here at the hospital that I have requested a new nurse. If I do not get one, I will walk out of this hospital now – after I have told your superiors what I think of your treatment. Now GO!"

Nurse Dibbly stared at him blankly for all of 5 seconds, her face going white. In all the years she'd been a nurse, very few had ever had the courage to speak to her this way. She'd gotten through the many years of her career bullying her patients, and the doctors and other nurses, confident that she did it for their own good and that she was _right_. Looking at the bruised and bandaged man in the bed in front of her, she realized that she'd just met her match. A small voice told her she should have expected it – he was a four star general after all.

Unable to answer, she gave a small nod and blindly turned and left. She marched down the hall, her head held high, until she got to the nurses' station. Sitting quietly behind the desk was Nurse Edgars, a youngish nurse who was a great favorite with the patients and doctors and other nurses. Nurse Dibbly resented her terribly. "You can have General O'Neill in 522", she said shortly. "He's an arrogant man and I'd rather not deal with him. I can take one of your patients", she said.

Amanda Edgars looked at the older woman in front of her, surprised at the request. She'd never, ever had Dibbly give up one of her patients, especially not to her. She knew the older woman felt contempt for her, but she didn't let it bother her. She'd been warned early on about Nurse Dibbly and did her best to ignore the bitter older woman.

"All right", she answered calmly. "I'll just take a look at his chart. Is there anything I need to know about him?"

"Other than he thinks he knows what's best for him? No, not really. He was in an accident last night and insisted on spending hours with his wife while she had a baby. I won't be surprised if he ends up sicker than a dog as a result."

"His wife just had a baby? Was everything okay?"

"With the wife and baby? Yes, I guess so – I didn't really pay that much attention. I don't have anything to do with the Maternity Ward."

And it was a good thing, thought Edgars. She'd frighten the poor mothers to death. "I'll check in on him in a couple of minutes. If you want, you can have Mrs. Sibbert in room 519. She's an elderly woman – in with pneumonia."

"Fine." With that Dibbly stomped off to continue her rounds.

Amanda Edgar couldn't help the small grin on her face as she made her way to General O'Neill's room. It was time for his pain medication and she was curious about this man who was considered a VIP. Up until a while ago there had been security crawling all over the hospital, although it was gone now. Apparently there had been some concern that his accident _wasn't _an accident at all.

As she headed down the hallway she wondered what had transpired to upset the older nurse so much. There wasn't much that fazed her normally – so she was looking forward to meeting the General.

She quietly opened to door, expecting that he might be asleep. Instead, he was staring out the window, a small smile on his face.

"General?" she spoke softly. He turned his head slowly to look at her. Poor man – he did look pretty beat up. "I'm just here to give you some pain meds. How are you feeling? Is there anything I can get you?"

He stared suspiciously at her for a moment, not particularly wanting any nurses hovering around him. "If you could pour me a water I'd appreciate it", he finally replied. "I can't quite reach it."

Edgars wanted to shake her head in disgust. That was one of the things Dibbly should have checked. Leaving the tray in a place the General couldn't reach it was just silly – and probably intentional, if she knew the other nurse. "I'm sorry about that Sir. Here." She poured him a glass and moved the table so it was in easy reach of his good arm. She also moved the tubes from his IV to a place they wouldn't get tangled.

"I hear you had a new baby today General", she smiled. "Congratulations! A boy or girl?"

"A little girl", he grinned. "Katherine – Kate for short. Eight pounds eleven ounces."

"That's wonderful! I bet she's beautiful. How is your wife doing?"

"Sam? Oh, she's great – really strong and beautiful and – amazing!"

She wanted to grin when she saw the besotted expression on the General's face. He was a man very clearly in love. "I'm sorry you have to be in here General – but we'll try and get you out of here as soon as we can. I'm just going to inject some meds into your IV here."

"I don't like that stuff", he said with a frown.

"I know – I don't blame you. But you'll be able to rest better with them and then you can get out of here sooner. I'm sure you'd rather be home with your wife and child than in the hospital."

He gave a short laugh. "Oh yeah – me and hospitals – never a great combination."

"Don't like them Sir?" she grinned. "I hope that doesn't extend to the staff?"

"Oh, some of them are great", he grinned in return. "Others – well, let's say I would be happy to never see them again!"

"Yes well, I'll be your nurse for this shift and I'll make sure you get a – uh – _good_ nurse for your next one!"

"No Nurse Dibbly?" he asked with a conspiratorial look.

"No", she replied laughing, "No Nurse Dibbly. I'm afraid you must have put the fear of God into her - she asked me to take you on as a patient."

"Good! Nurse Dibbly should go -" He stopped suddenly – it wasn't very professional of him to be criticizing her colleague in front of her. "Let's just say I'm glad to have you."

It wasn't long after the Nurse had left – she was much better, thought Jack – before he was out. Other than the little episode with Dibbly he was feeling great. Oh, he still hurt, but he was extremely happy! He had a daughter.

"All ready to go Sam", Daniel asked, peeking his head around the corner. Sam was sitting on the bed, dressed. Barring any complications, they only kept women in the hospital for a few hours after birth, knowing it was better for everyone not to be around where there were germs and sick people.

"Yeah, I'm all ready. Do you have the car seat?"

"Right here", Daniel opened the door and she could see that he was holding the baby seat in his other hand.

"Good, let's get Kate into it and then I guess we wait for the nurse. I've asked them to take me to Jack's room first so we can say goodbye. I hate having to leave him here!"

"It's only for another day Sam, at least that's what the doctor said. He'll be able to sleep and rest and then tomorrow he can go home."

"I know – I just wanted him to be able to see Alex meet his new sister."

"I'll take a video of it, okay?"

"Yeah – thanks." While they were talking Daniel had come in and placed the car seat on the bed beside Sam. She carefully stood up – still sore and tired – and reached into the bassinet for her gently sleeping daughter. With a smile she put the baby into the seat and buckled her in and zipped up the blanket which covered her. "There you go Katie, all ready to go home and meet big brother Alexander."

"I wonder what he'll think when he sees her", Daniel asked.

Just then there was another soft knock on the door and Teal'c's face appeared. "The nurse is here", he announced. "She is willing to take you to see O'Neill, Colonel Carter."

"Thanks Teal'c." They waited as the Nurse brought in the wheelchair and Sam sat gingerly down. Daniel carried the car seat with Katie in it and they all moved out to say goodbye to Jack.

When they arrived at his room they could see that he was sound asleep, looking relaxed. Sam stood and reached out and gently put her hand on his face. "Jack", she said softly. After a couple of seconds his eye opened and he looked at her. A slow smile formed on his face.

"Sam?"

"We're just going home now sweetheart and I wanted to come say goodbye. Teal'c is staying here with you and Daniel is driving us home. I'll call you later."

"Okay. Give Alexander a kiss from me."

"I will. Do you want to kiss Katie goodbye?"

"Of course", he smiled, "and her Mom."

He lay back in the bed, wishing with all his heart that he could go with his family, but at the same time, glad that he was still alive. What was a day – he had his whole life ahead of him with his family. With that he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

They pulled up into the driveway of their house and Sam slowly got out of the car. Daniel followed, still carrying the baby. It was still too hard for her to carry anything as she was sore, although she felt surprisingly good after having gone through hours of labor. She just wished Thor was back and he could do his magic wand thing again. It had been nice, after Alex, to have everything healed up instantly.

She opened the door, almost worried that she'd hear sounds of screaming or crying. She'd called Cassie and told her the news and the young woman had assured her that Alex was just fine. She didn't know whether to believe her or not. She pretty much figured Cassie wouldn't tell her if he'd been throwing tantrums all day so as not to worry her.

Still, the sound of childish laughter coming from the kitchen encouraged her. Cassie must be giving him his supper, she realized, looking at her watch. It was almost 5:30 and he'd be ready for his bath and bed soon.

She walked slowly into the kitchen and just watched, for a moment, as Cassie fed her little boy. He was laughing and giggling at the spoon as it moved around 'like a spaceship Alex', Cassie was saying.

Just then the little boy lifted his eyes and saw her standing there. "MAMA!" he cried, losing interest in supper. He held his arms out and instantly burst into tears.

She rushed over to him and unstrapped him from his highchair and picked him up. By this time he was sobbing wildly and kept repeating 'Mama, Mama, Mama', over and over again. She felt terribly guilty, which was silly, she knew. It's not like she'd had a choice!

"Mama is here little man", she murmured into his hair. "Mama is right here. I love you Alexander and I missed you."

It took a few minutes but finally he calmed down, although he still clutched onto her frantically, as if worried that she'd suddenly disappear again. She managed to interest him in the rest of his supper and fed him – the bites interspersed with the occasional little sobbing hiccup.

Once fed she took him with her to the Living room, where Daniel was waiting, camera in hand, along with Cassie who was holding the tiny little girl. Sam sat down carefully with Alex cuddled up on her lap.

"Alex, Mommy went away to get your baby sister. Do you want to see her?"

Alex looked at her, a little frown on his face. "Ba-be?" he asked. He then looked down and patted her tummy – although the loss of the huge bump obviously confused him.

"No, the baby isn't in Mommy's tummy anymore. She's come out and she wants to see you now. You're her big brother!"

Alex looked at her, his eyes huge in his little face. Daniel continued to film as she moved Alex off her lap and onto the couch while Cassie stood and then brought her the baby. "This is your baby sister Alex. Her name is Katie." She gently pulled the blanket down so Alex could see the face of the sleeping baby.

Alex reached out slowly with his hand and touched the little girl's face. She crinkled up her nose at the contact, which made him laugh, and he tried it again. He then looked up at his mother, 'ba –be?" he said.

"Yes, this is the baby – your baby sister – Katie. Do you love her?" Sam asked.

Alex repeated 'ba-be' and leaned over and gave her an open mouthed kiss. He then tried to reach and pick up the little girl, obviously not knowing quite how to do it.

"Here, Mommy will help", she said. "You sit back and I'll put her in your arms. You have to be _very_ gentle, okay Alex?"

He nodded vigorously and sat back and held out his arms. Sam carefully laid the baby on his lap and showed him where to put his arms. She kept a hold of Kate, knowing her son wasn't old enough to truly support the baby, but wanting Alex to feel close to her. "That's right Alexander, you're doing so well. You are being very loving and gentle – and that's the way you have to be with babies. She loves her big brother!"

He reached down again and kissed her and then started to touch her face. After a few seconds her eyes opened and she looked at the small face above her.

"MAMA!" Alex shouted excitedly. "Ba-be!"

"Yes, she's looking at her big brother."

They stayed that way for a few more minutes until Sam lifted the baby up and got ready to feed her. Alex watched contentedly, reaching out every few moments to gently touch his little baby sister. Sam just hoped it would continue this way.

By the time that Katie was fed, it was also time for Alex to have his bath and go to bed himself. She asked Cassie to watch the baby while she spent some time with her son. She was pretty sure he wouldn't want anyone else with him for awhile and she didn't want him to feel ignored over the new baby. She knew that was a surefire way to make him resent the new person in their lives.

It was just after his bath when she'd dried him and was putting on new diapers, that he began to cry again. She wasn't sure what it was until he started to talk.

"DA!", he cried. "Da,Da,Da,Da", he kept repeating over and over again. As soon as he was dressed he rushed away from her and went into their bedroom, still calling for his 'Da'. When he wasn't there Alex turned and ran to the stairs. Still unable to walk down, he sat on his bum and slid, stair by stair, until he'd reached the bottom.

"Alex, where are you going?" Sam tried to hurry after him, but it was difficult as she was still recuperating from recent childbirth.

"DA!" he shouted and he ran to his father's office. When that too was empty, he promptly burst into more tears.

Poor baby, she thought. He doesn't know quite what's happening. He wanted his Daddy and there was nothing they could do.

"Here baby", she said, trying to take him in her arms. "Daddy will be home tomorrow. He's just away for tonight." Of course Alex didn't understand and kept crying.

"Da – no!" he said, which confused her. Did he _not_ want his father?

"I think he feels bad", said Daniel, who was standing in the hall observing.

"What?" she asked, looking up at him while trying to comfort her son.

"You told me that he kept saying 'no' about his father. I wouldn't be surprised if he feels like he sent his father away and that Jack isn't coming back."

"Crap!" She turned back to Alex. "Daddy loves you Alex. He'll be back soon. He just has an 'owie' and needs to see the doctor."

"O-wie", he hiccupped, looking at her with eyes awash with tears.

"Yes, Daddy got an owie, but he'll be home tomorrow and you can see him, okay?"

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to help and Alex kept crying. She eventually took him to bed with her and held him. Every few seconds he'd call for his 'Da' until Sam felt like she wanted to cry. Eventually the little boy fell asleep, exhausted with all the emotions of the day. Sam just hoped they'd let Jack go early tomorrow. She didn't know if she could live through another episode like that one.

"At least he was happy about the baby, Sam", Cassie tried to comfort her later. "That could have gone badly but it didn't. He'll see Jack tomorrow and everything will be fine."

"You don't think this will -"

"What? Permanently scar him?" Daniel laughed softly. "I don't think you need to worry about that Sam. Most kids go through this and he'll forget about it as soon as he sees Jack. Kids are pretty resilient."

"How do you know so much about babies Daniel?" Cassie asked.

"Uh – now that I'm an uncle I've been doing lots of reading", he explained.

"Well, you'll be all prepared then for when you have your own!"

Sam was sure Daniel blushed and couldn't help but laugh. She just wished Jack were here – he'd tease the man unmercifully.

Teal'c arrived a short time after dinner, telling them that O'Neill was doing fine. "He is resting well, although he is anxious to return home. "

"I hope he's not giving the nurses a hard time", said his loving wife, who knew him well. "The nurse who came and got him from the delivery room was quite something!" she said.

"I believe O'Neill vanquished her", Teal'c replied calmly. "He now has a new nurse who is, I believe, very pleasant."

This time Daniel laughed, wondering how Jack had 'vanquished' his nurse. He had a mental picture of an injured Jack pulling out a zat gun and hitting the poor woman with a bolt of energy.

Everyone went to bed early that evening, exhausted after the long day and the previous night with no sleep. Of course Katie woke up every few hours to eat so her sleep was disturbed. "Oh yeah", she sighed softly, "one of the joys of being a new mom!"

Although she'd breastfed Alex, and therefore had always been the one getting up at night, Jack has always been there to help and support her. He usually changed the baby's diaper after he'd eaten, but really what she missed most was just his presence. He made this all so much easier.

Jack was discharged quickly the next day – the doctors and nurses recognizing that everyone would be happier to see him go home, least of all the General himself. Teal'c and Daniel were waiting for him and helped him into the car. It was extremely difficult and painful and he felt weak and dizzy by the time he was buckled in. Still, he was going home, so it was worth it.

"I heard from General Landry", Daniel said as he pulled out from the curb.

"Yeah, what'd he have to say?" Jack asked, his head resting against the back of the seat.

"They figure they know what caused your accident. I guess they'd been worried that someone was trying to get you."

"Really?" Jack sat up and looked at Daniel. "I didn't know that."

"Yes indeed O'Neill. There was much security at the hospital yesterday."

"No wonder they were so glad to see me go", he muttered.

"Oh, I think they were fine with the security", Daniel smirked. "It was _you_ they were happy to see leave. You have such a sparkling personality when you're sick."

"Bite me Daniel", the General said, sounding like a teenager. His friend just laughed. "So" Jack continued, "are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Daniel turned his head and looked at the older man.

Jack sighed. "Tell me what Landry said."

"Oh that. Yeah – they found a dead deer at the side of the road where you went over and evidence on your car that you'd hit it. It must have run out in front of you and that, with the fact that it was raining and slippery, caused you to go over the side."

Jack had a brief flash of memory in which something had hit his car. "Yeah", he said, "I think they're right. I sort of remember that. When the car went over the edge I thought – " he stopped, unable to continue.

"I know", Daniel said softly. "The emergency crew said it was a miracle you survived. I guess it was a pretty steep cliff and at the bottom was a fast flowing river. If your car hadn't stopped you would have been swept away."

The three friends contemplated briefly the possibility that Jack could have been killed. It was Daniel who broke the somber mood.

"What _did_ stop your car?" he asked, looking at Jack inquisitively.

"Uh – oh, I don't know."

"It was a tree", Teal'c said from the back seat. "A very large tree."

Daniel's eye's grew big and he looked as if he was about to speak.

"Don't say it Daniel!" warned Jack. "Just – don't say anything – not if you know what's good for you!"

Daniel bit his lip but continued to smirk all the way home. Sam was going to love this!

They finally arrived at Jack's house – not a moment too soon for the General. Travelling in a car was not the most comfortable thing for him in his condition. He slowly got out of the vehicle, accepting Teal'c's help – which he figured was more dignified than landing flat on his face in his driveway.

He limped up to the front door, grateful that at least he hadn't broken either one of his legs. The left one was pretty bruised and scratched, but the injuries were more painful than serious. The left side of his car had taken the brunt of the damage – and so had his left side.

Daniel reached around and opened the doorway for him and he arrived, more thankful than he could say, that he was home.

Everything was quiet when he got in the door, until he heard the sounds of his son, who was babbling away about something. Every once in awhile he could hear 'ba-be' and he had to grin. Daniel had told him about Alex's response to his sister and he couldn't wait to see the video.

A few seconds later, however, he heard his son say 'DA!' in a loud voice. He grinned some more, happy to hear his son speak about him. As the DA's continued – and grew louder and more insistent – he walked to the room from which they were emanating.

He limped into the family room where Sam sat on the couch holding Katie, and Cassie and Alex were on the floor. The little boy was crying and the two women were trying to soothe him.

"Alex", he said softly. His sons head shot up and he looked at the man in front of him.

"DADADADADADA!" he cried, rushing towards Jack. He threw his little arms around his father's legs and held on for dear life.

Jack desperately wanted to hold his son, but he couldn't bend over and he couldn't lift him with only one arm in working order. "Alex", he laid his hand on the crying boy's head. "Alexander, look at Daddy." After a few more seconds of tears and sobs and 'Da's, the little boy looked up and then put his arms up for his father to lift him.

"I'm going to sit in the chair Alex, okay? Then you can sit on Daddy's lap. I'm afraid Daddy has an owie and I can't pick you up."

They were worried there was going to be another tantrum as Jack walked towards the chair, but Daniel quickly lifted the little boy and placed him carefully in his father's lap. Alex leaned his head on Jack's chest and grasped his shirt with his hand. He was not about to let his father out of his sight!

Jack put his arm around his son and sat with his eyes closed, relishing the closeness and the feel of the warm and loving little body he was holding. Alex was babbling again – repeating his small vocabulary of Da and Ma and ba-be. Jack eventually looked up to see everyone in the room gazing at him with soft expressions on their faces. He had to clear his throat before he could speak.

"So – how's everyone doing?" He looked to his wife. "How are you and Katie?"

"We're fine Jack – better now that you're home." She gave him a sweet smile and relaxed, finally completely happy.

It was a couple of minutes later that Alex suddenly sat straight up. Jack gave a gasp as the little boy leveraged himself up by pressing on Jack's ribs.

"Da – owie?" Alex asked, a frown on his face.

"Yes Alex – Daddy has an owie. You'll have to be very gentle."

Alex nodded and patted his father's cheek and then reached out and very gently touched his swollen cheek and eye. He leaned forward and kissed them, equally as gently. "Da – owie", he said, nodding. The next thing they knew, he'd jumped out of his father's lap and raced over to his mother. Taking one of her arms he began to tug. "Mama, ba-be" he continued to pull until she realized he wanted her to stand. She did, which was a little difficult as she was holding the baby.

"What do you want Alex?" she asked. He tugged her hand and pulled her towards his father and then insisted she sit down beside him. He climbed up – very carefully – into his father's lap again and pointed towards Kate.

"Da – ba-be!" he announced with a smile. He took his father's hand and pulled it towards Katie. "Ba-be", he repeated. "Kat" he said, 'Ba-be"

Jack looked up at Sam and smiled. "Yes Alexander – that's Kate, you're baby sister and Mommy's and my baby. We love her don't we?"

Alex nodded and leaned forward and kissed his sister. "Kat", he repeated. Sam looked at her husband, knowing their daughter now had a new nickname.

"That's right Alex – you're a smart boy." Sam kissed him. "And Daddy and I love you too."

The little boy smiled and sat back in his father's arms – safe and happy and secure. Daniel grinned, holding the camera, and Cassie wiped her eyes. Teal'c stood calmly, observing the family, and suddenly longed for this for himself.

"Yes", Jack said happily, "I love you Alex – and I love Kat and I love Mommy." He drew the boy closer and let his eyes wander around the room. He had his family here with him and all was good in the world.

_**The End**_


End file.
